Prochain concert du Club musical de Québec, le 16 novembre

Un duo impressionnant au Club musical de Québec, le 16 novembre :

le violoniste Vadim Repin et le pianiste Nicolaï Lugansky

Le CLUB MUSICAL DE QUÉBEC présente un impressionnant duo composé du violoniste Vadim Repin et du pianiste Nicolaï Lugansky, le dimanche 16 novembre à 20 heures, à la Salle Louis-Fréchette du Grand Théâtre de Québec. Ce concert est enregistré par Espace musique, la radio musicale de Radio-Canada 95,3 FM.

Retour ensemble au Club musical de deux musiciens chevronnés déjà invités individuellement et qui avaient tous deux littéralement triomphé à quelques saisons d'intervalle. En exclusivité canadienne, les retrouvailles tout aussi inattendues qu'inespérées à Québec de Vadim Repin et Nicolaï Lugansky, après un prestigieux arrêt à Salzbourg au cours de l'été.

Au programme :

Debussy, Sonate pour violon et piano in sol mineur, L.140

Stravinski, Divertimento pour violon et piano

Beethoven, Sonate pour violon et piano n^o 9 en la majeur, op. 47, « Kreutzer »

Encore cette saison, les plus GRANDS se succèdent au Club musical de Québec, avec le violoniste Vadim Repin et le pianiste Nicolaï Lugansky, le dimanche 16 novembre, à la Salle Louis-Fréchette du Grand Théâtre de Québec.

Il reste encore de très bonnes places pour ce concert. Les billets sont en vente à la billetterie du Grand Théâtre de Québec, en composant le 643-8131 ou 1-877-643-8131 ou encore dans le réseau BILLETECH (billetech.com).

OSM / November at the OSM

November at the OSM

FRANZ-PAUL DECKER,

former music director of the OSM, conducts three concerts

Pianist MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN

in Strauss's breathtaking Burleske

After a triumphant European tour,

MARIE-NICOLE LEMIEUX sings Mahler

The Beethoven cycle continues

with pianist TILL FELLNER and KENT NAGANO

OSM Standard Life Competition: voice, woodwinds and brass

Children's Corner

Montreal, October 15, 2008 – Former OSM music director (1961 to 1967) Franz-Paul Decker will be revisiting the musicians of the Orchestra when he leads a program devoted exclusively to the works of Richard Strauss on November 4 and 6. These concerts will feature pianist Marc-André Hamelin, a special collaborator of the OSM for 20 years, in the highly virtuoso Burleske, a concerto work rarely performed.

On November 11 and 12, Maestro Decker will conduct well-known works by Johann Strauss father and son along with other great Viennese classics, resuming a much appreciated tradition of evenings dedicated to Viennese music.

The first shows in the Children's Corner series will take place on November 9 at 1:30 p.m. for the French-language version and at 3:30 p.m. for the bilingual version. Québec actor Patrice Dubois, in the role of Octavio, will interact with OSM conductor in residence Jean-François Rivest, playing the captain. Soprano Kyra Folk-Farber as well as a chorus and musicians from Joseph-François Perrault High School will join the OSM for these exciting shows.

The celebrated contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux, who is enjoying an extremely active international career, will be singing Mahler's Rückert-Lieder on November 16, Mahler being a composer with whom she has often been associated. Also on the program: Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 and Escenas de pájaros, the work with which Barcelona composer Ramon Humet won the International Olivier Messiaen Prize at the OSM's 2007 composition competition as well as the 24th Queen Sofia Composition Prize in 2006.

On November 26 and 27, OSM music director Kent Nagano will lead the Orchestra and Austrian pianist Till Fellner in Beethoven's sublime Concerto No. 4.

Finally, the stages and activities of the 69th edition of the OSM Standard Life Competition, dedicated to voice, woodwinds and brass, are open to the public free of charge and will take place from November 26 to 30.

Information and reservations: 514 842-9951 or www.osm.ca

THE NOVEMBER CONCERTS:

November 4 and 6 at 8 p.m. (Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier) Grand Concerts: Decker and Strauss – a historic meeting. Franz-Paul Decker, conductor; Marc-André Hamelin, pianist.

November 9 at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. (Théâtre Maisonneuve) Children's Corner: Adventure at sea, The further travels of Octavio. Jean-François Rivest, conductor; Marie-Lou Dion, scriptwriter and director; Patrice Dubois, actor; Kyra Folk-Farber, soprano. At 1:00 and at 3:00 p.m.: meeting with musicians from Joseph-François Perrault High School.

November 11 at 8 p.m.(Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier) Air Canada Classical Escapes: Viennese Evening. Franz-Paul Decker, conductor; Ulrike Steinsky, soprano; Alois Haselbacher, tenor. At 7 p.m.: pre-concert discussion: Jean-François Rivest, OSM conductor in residence, presents the concert program.

November 12 at 10:30 a.m. (Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier) Symphonic Matinees: Viennese Evening. Franz-Paul Decker, conductor; Ulrike Steinsky, soprano; Alois Haselbacher, tenor.

November 16 at 2:30 p.m. (Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier) Musical Sundays: Marie-Nicole Lemieux Sings Mahler. Roberto Minczuk, conductor; Marie-Nicole Lemieux, contralto.

November 26 and 27 at 8 p.m.(Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier) Grand Concerts: Till Fellner and Beethoven's Fourth. Kent Nagano, conductor; Till Fellner, pianist.

November 26 to 29 (Tanna Schulich Hall, Schulich School of Music, McGill University) Semi-finals, finals and master classes of the OSM Standard Life Competition.

November 30 at 7 p.m. (Redpath Hall, McGill University) OSM Standard Life Competition chamber-music concert. Alain Trudel, trombone; Jens Lindemann, trumpet; James Campbell, clarinet; Andrew Wan, concertmaster with the OSM and Grand Prize winner at the OSM Standard Life Competition, 2007 edition.

Information on the month's concerts:

Grand Concerts:

Decker and Strauss: a historic meeting

Devoted exclusively to Richard Strauss, this concert includes the suite of waltzes for orchestra from Der Rosenkavalier, an evocation of imperial Vienna from his famous opera, as well as the Symphonia Domestica, an autobiographical work in which the composer sets to music the characters of his wife and son as well as himself. In four linked movements, the work abounds in motifs, some 40 of them, interwoven by Strauss in a masterful way.

German conductor Franz-Paul Decker has been a fervent champion of the works of his compatriot Richard Strauss, whom he had the honour of meeting in his youth. Music director of the OSM from 1967 to 1975, he took the Orchestra to new heights – and new horizons, to among other places the Osaka World's Fair in 1970, the first of numerous trips the Orchestra would take to Japan.

The musicality and virtuosity of Canadian pianist Marc-André Hamelin have earned him legendary status as a piano master. Long renowned for his explorations of unfamiliar works, he is now recognized around the world for his dazzling technique and the originality of his interpretations of the classical repertoire. "For 20 years now," the pianist has said, "I've had the privilege of collaborating regularly with the OSM, which always gives me great pleasure. Furthermore, it seems to me that each time the pleasure only increases, and with the OSM, I always feel as though I'm at home." He will play Burleske, a work of formidable technical difficulty, considered unperformable by Strauss's contemporary the pianist and conductor Hans von Bülow.

Grand Concerts

November 4 and 6 at 8 p.m.

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts

Franz-Paul Decker, conductor

Marc-André Hamelin, pianist

Richard Strauss Symphonia Domestica

Richard Strauss Burleske

Richard Strauss Suite from Der Rosenkavalier

Tickets from $24.75

Information and reservations: 514 842-9951 or www.osm.ca

Children's Corner:

Adventure at sea, The further travels of Octavio

Children and their parents are invited aboard the great musical vessel of the OSM, skillfully captained by Jean-François Rivest. In the traces of the indefatigable voyager Octavio, this time acting as navigator, they will sail the seas with the best crew of musicians going! On the program: all the world's oceans, famous ships, tropical fish, marine monsters, whales, sirens and pirates… A thrilling adventure by way of great works of the symphonic repertoire, original compositions and movie music.

Taking part in a show scripted and directed by Marie-Lou Dion are actor Patrice Dubois (interacting with the conductor), soprano Kyra Folk-Farber, the OSM and a girls chorus as well as musicians from Joseph-François Perrault High School, everyone under the direction of OSM conductor in residence Jean-François Rivest.

Before the shows, in the Théâtre Maisonneuve lobbies, the audience is invited to meet some of the young students from the Joseph-François Perrault school, who will be presenting the instruments they play.

Following the success of The Enchanted Orchestra (a concert in the 2005 Children's Corner series nominated for "Best young-audience concert" at the Prix Opus) and A Trip Around the World (a concert in the OSM Youth Concerts and Children's Corner presented in 2007), Marie-Lou Dion is back to offer the OSM's young audience a new script, one that she is directing as well. Ms. Dion, who at one point was known mostly as an actress on the small screen, has devoted more of her time over the past 10 years or so to directing, writing for the stage and teaching acting.

Since he left theatre school in Saint-Hyacinthe in 1993, Patrice Dubois has been seen in about 20 stage works in various theatres in Québec, and in 2007 he became artistic co-director at Théâtre PÀP. On television he has played a number of roles in some 15 series. For more than five years he played the character Victor Dubé in Les Poupées russes. He also appears on the series Les Sœurs Elliott. Patrice Dubois has additionally been involved in the dubbing of about 100 films, of cartoon and of television series.

Canadian soprano Kyra Folk-Farber has appeared at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver, Jordan Hall in Boston, the Concertgebouw and the Ignatius Huis in Amsterdam and at the Snape Maltings Hall in England. She completed her bachelor's degree in vocal performance at Boston's New England Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Edward Zambara. She is currently doing doctoral studies in voice at the Université de Montréal with Rosemarie Landry and Catherine Sévigny.

Children's Corner

November 9 at 1:30 p.m.: French-language show

November 9 at 3:30 p.m.: bilingual show

November 9 at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.: get-together with musicians

Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts

Jean-François Rivest, conductor

Marie-Lou Dion, scriptwriter and director

Patrice Dubois, actor

Kyra Folk-Farber, soprano

Orchestre symphonique de Montréal

Girls choir from Joseph-François Perrault High School

Musicians from Joseph-François Perrault High School

Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov The Sea and Sindbad's Ship, from Scheherazade, symphonic suite, Opus 35 (excerpt)

Richard Strauss Also sprach Zarathoustra, symphonic poem, Opus 30 (excerpt)

Benjamain Britten Moonlight, Four Sea Interludes, from the opera Peter Grimes (excerpt)

Claude Debussy Jeux de vagues, from La Mer (excerpt)

Patrick Sobczak À l'abordage, OSM commission

Claude Debussy Sirènes, from Nocturne (excerpt)

Jean Sibelius Tapiola, symphonic poem, Opus 112 (excerpt)

Dimitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 in C minor, Opus 65, "Adagio" (excerpt)

Bedrich Smetana The Moldau, from the symphonic cycle Má Vlast (excerpt)

Claude Vivier Lonely Child (excerpt)

Bruno Coulais Caresse sur l'océan, from the soundtrack to the movie Les Choristes (excerpt)

John Williams Prologue, from the soundtrack to the movie Hook (excerpt)

Individual tickets:

Children: $13.75

Adults: $27.50

Information and reservations: 514 842-9951 or www.osm.ca

Air Canada Classical Escapes:

Viennese Evening

(this program is reprised in the Symphonic Matinees series)

Vienna stirs up romantic images of fairy tales with sparkling chandeliers, dazzling ballrooms and beautiful elegant women, in an atmosphere of infectious gaiety and excitement. Vienna is also the city par excellence for music.

The Viennese evenings were among the most loved and best attended when Franz-Paul Decker was music director of the OSM. For a rare occasion the conductor revisits that universe and invites us to an evening of waltzes, polkas, marches and operetta arias. Musical tipsiness and surprises are in store.

At 7 p.m., at a pre-concert discussion, Jean-François Rivest, the OSM's conductor in residence, will present the concert program.

Air Canada Classical Escapes

November 11 at 8 p.m.

Symphonic Matinees

November 12 at 10:30 a.m.

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts

Franz-Paul Decker, conductor

Ulrike Steinsky, soprano

Alois Haselbacher, tenor

Johann Strauss II Tritsch-Tratsch Polka

Johann Strauss II Furioso Polka

Johann Strauss II On the Beautiful Blue Danube

Johann Strauss I Radetzky March

and other Viennese classics

Tickets from $24.75

Information and reservations: 514 842-9951 or www.osm.ca

Musical Sundays:

Marie-Nicole Lemieux sings Mahler

Marie-Nicole Lemieux is known for her dark, voluptuous voice, an ideal vehicle for the romantic vocal music of Gustav Mahler inspired by texts by the German poet and Orientalist Friedrich Rückert. Mahler composted four of the five songs while staying at Villa Mahler in the summer of 1901. The last song is a poem that Mahler set to music in July 1902 for his wife, Alma Mahler. That evening in her diary she noted: "It almost made me cry. What profundity there is in such a man! And how I am lacking in soul! I am often made aware of just how little I am and how little I possess in comparison with his incommensurable wealth!" At its première, Mahler enjoyed one of his great successes. Wrote Paul Stefan: "We exulted with [Mahler], we shared, successively, his affliction, his childish moods, joyful or dreamy. We took pleasure in marveling at his knowledge and at his mastery of the small forms, as though at a magnificent flowering of beautiful poems."

The program begins with Escenas de pájaros by Ramon Humet, an orchestral synthesis of birdsongs that earned its author the International Olivier Messiaen grand prize at the OSM's 2007 composition competition and the 24th Queen Sofia Composition Prize in 2006. In the second part we will hear Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony, the final movement of which is one of the most sensational and most thrilling in the repertoire. "Never before had one of my orchestral works cost me so much difficullty," wrote Tchaikovsky, "but neither have I ever felt so much love for any of my compositions.

This much anticipated concert will be under the direction of Brazilian conductor Roberto Minczuk, a protégé of Kurt Masur, who is music director of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and artistic director of the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira in Rio de Janeiro.

Musical Sundays

November 16 at 2:30 p.m.

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts

Roberto Minczuk, conductor

Marie-Nicole Lemieux, contralto

Ramon Humet Escenas de pájaros

Gustav Mahler Rückert-Lieder

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4

Tickets from $24.75

Information and reservations: 514 842-9951 or www.osm.ca

Grand Concerts:

Till Fellner and Beethoven's Fourth

Alfred Brendel evoked the intelligence, the sensitivity, the curiosity and the vast esthetic appetite of his disciple Till Fellner, born in Vienna in 1972, winner of the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition in 1993 and one of the most interesting younger pianists on the international scene. He will be performing, under the direction of Kent Nagano, Beethoven's Fourth Concerto, a masterwork of the concerto literature devoid of all formal constraints and overflowing with lyricism and poetry. The piano seems to be in a perpetual state of grace and of improvisation here, supported by an orchestra of great richness. This concerto will appear on an upcoming recording by the OSM.

Kent Nagano will also conduct Béla Bartók's The Miraculous Mandarin, a forebear of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring in its orchestration and rhythms, and two Nocturnes by Claude Debussy, both the Bartók and Debussy having been recorded by the OSM, the second honoured with a Juno Award in 1991. "The title Nocturnes is to be interpreted here in a general and, more particularly, in a decorative sense," noted Debussy. "Therefore, it is not meant to designate the usual form of the nocturne, but rather all the various impressions and the special effects of light that the word suggests."

Rounding off the program is Orchestral Theater 1: "Xun" by Tan Dun, author of the score to the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. "Theatrical and ritualistic," wrote Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times, "Tan Dun's music sculpts sound and transforms everything into a riveting experience that is hard to define but very easy to appreciate." In this work Tan Dun has written something that reflects his compositional concepts and his personal ideas. He evokes his childhood memories of shamanistic rituals and integrates them into the symphonic fabric. "Xun" is written for orchestra musicians and their voices.

Grand Concerts

November 26 and 27 at 8 p.m.

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts

Kent Nagano, conductor

Till Fellner, pianist

Claude Debussy Nocturnes 1 and 2

Tan Dun Orchestral Theater 1: "Xun"

Béla Bartók Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin

Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4

Tickets from $24.75

Information and reservations: 514 842-9951 or www.osm.ca

Non-series concerts:

OSM Standard Life Competition

and chamber-music concert

The 69th edition of the OSM Standard Life Competition, devoted to woodwinds, brass and voice, will take place from November 26 to 30, under the presidency of Mr. Jean Élie. We must point out the presence of two great ladies of the vocal arts on the jury: Madam Renata Scotto (judge for the finals, voice category), soprano and teacher at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Italy, and Madam Françoise Pollet (judge for the semi-finals and finals, voice category), soprano and teacher at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse in Lyon, France. Mr. Jean-Pierre Brossmann, former executive director of Théâtre du Châtelet, in Paris, as well as Maestro Kent Nagano, music director of the OSM, will join the jury for the finals. Mr. Welz Kauffman, president and CEO of Chicago's Ravinia Festival, will act as chairman of the jury. Master classes will be offered by oboist Louise Pellerin, trumpeter Jens Lindemann and by singers Françoise Pollet and Renata Scotto.

The Competition will conclude with a chamber-music concert on November 30 at 7 p.m., featuring trombonist Alain Trudel, trumpeter Jens Lindemann, clarinetist James Campbell and violinist Andrew Wan, concertmaster with the OSM and Grand Prize winner at the OSM Standard Life Competition, 2007 edition.

All Competition activities are free of charge and open to the public.

Title sponsor of the competition: Standard Life; principal partner: Espace musique; major partner: Schulich School of Music, McGill University.

Non-series concerts

November 26 to 29: OSM Standard Life Competition

Tanna Schulich Hall, Schulich Music School, McGill University

November 25, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.: master class given by oboist Louise Pellerin

November 26, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: woodwinds semi-finals

November 26, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.: master class given by trumpeter Jens Lindemann

November 26, 8:00 to 10:00 p.m.: master class given by soprano Françoise Pollet

November 27, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: brass semi-finals

November 28, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. voice semi-finals

November 28, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.: master class given by soprano and director Renata Scotto

November 29, 9:30 a.m. to noon: woodwind finals

November 29, 1:00 to 3:30 p.m.: brass finals

November 29, 4:00 to 6:30 p.m.: voice finals

November 29, 9:00 to 10:30 p.m.: awarding of prizes

November 30 at 7 p.m.: gala chamber-music concert

Redpath Hall, McGill University

Alain Trudel, trombone

Jens Lindemann, trumpet

James Campbell, clarinet

Andrew Wan, OSM concertmaster

Grand Prize Winner at the OSM Standard Life Competition, 2007 edition

Free admission, open to the public

Information: 514 842-9951 or www.osm.ca

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal is presented by Hydro-Québec

in association with National Bank

Angela Cheng plays Beethoven's beautiful Piano Concerto No.3

Extraordinary Classical pianist Angela Cheng plays

Beethoven’s beautiful Piano Concerto No. 3

Vancouver BC – Angela Cheng, one of the world’s finest Classical pianists and a favourite of Vancouver audiences, performs Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor on November 1^st and 3^rd at 8pm at the Orpheum Theatre. Guest conductor Yoav Talmi leads the orchestra in Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No.3 and Dvorak’s epic Symphony No. 9 ‘From the New World.’

Vancouver audiences welcome the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra back from the 2008 Asia-Pacific Tour in these performances.

“…nothing short of magic…a pianist one could listen to for hours…”

- The Record (Waterloo, Ontario)

Born in Hong Kong to a musical family, Angela Cheng moved to Canada at age 8 and settled in Edmonton. The first concert she attended was Gina Bachauer playing Beethoven’s 3^rd Concerto with the Edmonton Symphony. She knew by then that she wanted to be a first-rate pianist and was well on her way. Cheng studied piano at the Alberta College from age 13 to 17 and the University of Alberta from age 17 to 19. She completed her Bachelors of Music at the Juilliard School in New York and her Masters of Music from Indiana State University.

Angela Cheng is the recipient of numerous awards. The gold medal winner of the 1986 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Masters competition, Ms. Cheng has earned her reputation as one of Canada’s brightest stars. In 1988, Ms. Cheng became the first Canadian to win the Grand Prize at the Montreal International Music Competition and in 1991 she received the Medal of Excellence at the Mozarteum in Salzburg for her interpretations of Mozart.

Ms. Cheng has received international acclaim for her technical skill, tonal beauty, and musicianship. She has performed as a soloist with every major Canadian symphony orchestra as well as several American orchestras and the Israel Philharmonic. Ms. Cheng is busy this season touring across North America. She will be teaching a Masterclass at Florida State University before visiting Vancouver and then she is off to Indiana to perform in recital.

Well known and celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, Yoav Talmi is currently the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Quebec Symphony and Principal Guest Conductor of the Israel Chamber Orchestra in Tel Aviv. In the past, he has served as Chief Conductor of the Hamburg Symphony, Principal Guest Conductor of the Munich Philharmonic, Music Director of the San Diego Symphony, Music Director of the Arnhem Philharmonic (Netherlands), and Music Director of both - the Israel Chamber Orchestra and the New Israeli Opera.

Both concerts on November 1^st and 3^rd will feature a pre-concert talk by Assistant Conductor Evan Mitchell, free to ticket holders, at 7:05pm in the auditorium.

CONCERT INFO

Masterworks Gold Series

New World Symphony

Yoav Talmi, conductor

Angela Cheng, piano

Beethoven Leonore Overture No.3

Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3

Dvorak Symphony No.9 From the New World

Tickets $25 to $78.50 (Student, Senior and Subscriber discounts available)

Tickets available by phone at 604.876.3434 or online at www.vancouversymphony.ca

BIOGRAPHIES

Yoav Talmi

Maestro Talmi’s long and impressive guest conducting career spans several continents. His European engagements include all the major London orchestras, the Berlin Philharmonic, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Symphony Orchestras of Vienna and Prague, the Philharmonic Orchestras of St. Petersburg, Oslo, Stockholm, Warsaw and Israel, the Orchestre National de France, Zurich’s Tonhalle, Rome’s Santa Cecilia, and numerous radio orchestras in Israel, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Finland and Sweden. He has also made several appearances with the NHK Symphony and the New Philharmonic Orchestras in Japan. In North America, he has appeared with the orchestras of Pittsburgh, Detroit, St. Louis, Houston, Dallas, Indianapolis, Montreal, Vancouver, Rochester and Seattle, as well as the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the New York Chamber Symphony, the National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa) and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Carnegie Hall.

Yoav Talmi’s summer activities includes the Aspen Music Festival, Casals Festival in Puerto Rico, Bergen Festival in Norway, Chautauqua Festival (NY), Helsinki Festival, Houston’s Mostly Mozart Festival, Jerusalem Festival, Montreal’s Lanaudière Festival and the Waterloo Festival in New Jersey.

Also a seasoned recording artist, Yoav Talmi has collaborated with Chandos, Decca, EMI, Naxos, Teldec. CBC Records (Toronto), Atma and Analekta (Montreal). His recording of Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony with the Oslo Philharmonic won the prestigious “Grand Prix du Disque” in Paris. Mr. Talmi’s recording of Schoenberg and Tchaikovsky with the Israel Chamber Orchestra for Teldec was chosen “Record of the Month” by Germany’s Fono-Forum magazine. The London Penguin Guide gave this same recording its highest rating. His recent recording French Showpieces with the Quebec Symphony and violinist James Ehnes was chosen “Record of the Month” by the French media magazine Repertoire, who gave this recording a perfect rating. Talmi’s Naxos recordings with the San Diego Symphony feature an all-Berlioz cycle that includes the Symphonie fantastique, the complete overtures, Roméo et Juliette, Harold in Italy, Rêverie et Caprice, excerpts from Les Troyens, and more. He has recorded also as pianist, accompanying his wife, flutist Er’ella Talmi.

Born in Israel, Yoav Talmi is a graduate of the Rubin Academy of Music in Tel Aviv and The Juilliard School in New York, where he earned degrees in both composition and conducting with grants from the America Israel Cultural Foundation (AICF). He was a recipient of the Koussevitzky Memorial Conducting Prize at the Tanglewood Festival [1969] and the Rupert Conductor’s Competition in London [1973].

Last July 2008, Yoav Talmi was awarded the ‘Frank Pelleg’ prize of the Israeli Cultural Ministry, for his high-level artistic achievements through many years of activity and in August 2008 he received the Quebec-City Medal, honoring his special contribution to the city’s 400 anniversary celebrations. Maestro Talmi holds an Honorary Doctorate from the Laval University in Quebec, Canada.

Angela Cheng

Consistently cited for her brilliant technique, tonal beauty and superb musicianship, Angela Cheng is one of Canada's brightest stars. She has appeared as soloist with virtually every orchestra in Canada, as well as the Birmingham Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Saint Louis Symphony, Syracuse Symphony, Utah Symphony and the Israel Philharmonic, among others. The frequency with which she is re-engaged is remarkable.

Angela Cheng's debut recording of two Mozart concerti with Mario Bernardi and the CBC Vancouver Orchestra received glowing reviews. Other CDs include: for Koch International, Clara Schumann's Concerto in A Minor with JoAnn Falletta and the Women's Philharmonic; for CBC Records, selected works of Clara and Robert Schumann, four Spanish concerti with Hans Graf and the Calgary Philharmonic, and both Shostakovich concerti with Mario Bernardi and the CBC Radio Orchestra. In the fall of 2006, an all- Chopin recital CD for Universal will be released.

Ms. Cheng appears regularly on recital series throughout the U.S. and Canada and has collaborated with numerous chamber ensembles including the Takács, Colorado and Vogler quartets. Her many festival appearances include Chautauqua, Colorado, Houston, Vancouver and the Festival International de Lanaudière in Quebec

Angela Cheng was the 1986 Gold Medal winner at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Masters Competition as well as the first Canadian to win the prestigious Montreal International Piano Competition (1988). In the same year, the Canada Council awarded Ms. Cheng its coveted Career Development Grant. For her outstanding interpretations of Mozart, she received the Medal of Excellence at the Mozarteum in Salzburg in 1991.

Richard Egarr joins Handel and Haydn Society for "Mozart and Beethoven"

Music Director of the Academy of Ancient Music Joins Society for a Program of Beethoven and Mozart

Richard Egarr conducts symphonies and leads a Mozart piano concerto from the fortepiano

WHEN: Friday, November 7, 2008, at 8pm

Sunday, November 9, 2008, at 3pm

WHERE: Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston

WHAT: Richard Egarr, Music Director of the UK’s Academy of Ancient Music, joins the Handel and Haydn Society in the second program of its “Celebration 2009” Season, which commemorates the legacies of its two namesake composers. Hailed as “The Bernstein of Early Music” by National Public Radio, Egarr will lead Mozart’s virtuosic Piano Concert No. 23 from the fortepiano. Egarr will also conduct the Handel and Haydn Period-Instrument Orchestra in symphonies by Mozart and Beethoven, as well as the dramatic overture to Beethoven’s only full ballet score, Creatures of Prometheus.

This repertoire highlights the historical relationship of Mozart and Beethoven to the earlier works of Handel and to their Classical contemporary Haydn: Haydn and Mozart had a close personal relationship, Beethoven studied with Haydn for a brief time, and Handel’s works were quite popular in Vienna. Beethoven and Mozart built upon the musical ideas of the Society’s namesake composers to further develop the sound of the Classical orchestra.

PROGRAM:

Mozart: Symphony No. 1

Piano Concerto No. 23

Beethoven: Overture to Creatures of Prometheus

Symphony No. 8

WHO: Richard Egarr, conductor/fortepiano

Handel and Haydn Society Period-Instrument Orchestra

HOW: Tickets range from $20-$75, and may be purchased online at www.handelandhaydn.org, by phone at 617 266 3605, or in person at the Handel and Haydn office, Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston (M-F 10am-6pm).

BIOGRAPHIES:

Richard Egarr

Richard Egarr has performed keyboard music from fifteenth-century organ intabulations to Dussek and Chopin on early pianos, to Berg and Maxwell Davies on modern piano. He is in great demand as a soloist; as orchestral soloist he has worked with the Academy of Ancient Music, English Concert, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Orchestra of the 18^th Century and the Dutch Radio Chamber Orchestra. With violinist Andrew Manze he has toured extensively throughout Europe, North-America, Korea and Japan.

As a conductor Richard has worked with specialised ensembles and modern orchestras alike, in repertoire from Bach’s St. Matthew Passion to Taverner’s Ikon of Light. In 2006, he was appointed Music Director of the Academy of Ancient Music. Richard has directed many oratorios and operas, notably from Handel. He has conducted the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Flemish Radio Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Portland Baroque and Tafelmusik. Next year Richard will conduct the Residentie Orchestra, the Brabant Orchestra, the Flemish Radio Orchestra and Choir and Collegium Vocale Ghent.

Richard Egarr records exclusively for Harmonia Mundi USA. Recent additions to his vast discography are Bach’s Goldberg Variations, his Well-Tempered Clavier and Sonatas by Mozart and Schubert with Andrew Manze. With the AAM he has recorded the Bach harpsichord concertos and an entire set of Handel discs including the Concerti grossi Op. 3, the Organ Concertos Op. 4 and 7 and his Sonatas Op. 1 and 5.

The Handel and Haydn Society is a professional chorus and period-instrument orchestra and an internationally recognize­d leader in the field of historically-informed performance. Founded in Boston in 1815, the Society is the oldest continuously performing arts organization in the United States, with a long history of innovation: it gave the American premieres of Handel’s Messiah (1818), Haydn’s The Creation (1819), Verdi’s Requiem (1878), Bach’s Mass in B Minor (1887), and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (1889). The Society today, under the leadership of Artistic Director Designate Harry Christophers, Artistic Advisor Sir Roger Norrington, Principal Conductor Grant Llewellyn, and Conductor Laureate Christopher Hogwood, is committed to its mission “to perform Baroque and Classical music at the highest levels of artistic excellence and to share that music with as large and diverse an audience as possible.” The Massachusetts Cultural Council has lauded the organization for its “willingness to take risks and explore new musical horizons.”

Beethoven concert de début de saison Orchestre Symphonique de Laval

L’OSL ouvre sa nouvelle saison de façon magistrale avec les 5^e et 6^e symphonies de Beethoven et la création d’une œuvre de Tim Brady

Laval, 9 septembre 2008– Pour ce premier rendez-vous de la saison, l’Orchestre symphonique de Laval et Alain Trudel ont choisi de rendre hommage au génie de Beethoven en offrant aux mélomanes la Symphonie pastorale et la célèbre Symphonie n^o5, une des œuvres les plus aimées et les plus jouées de tout le répertoire symphonique. Entamé la saison dernière, le grand cycle Beethoven de l’OSL se poursuivra la saison prochaine. Ce concert sera aussi l’occasion pour le public de faire connaissance avec Tim Brady, premier compositeur en résidence de l’OSL. Pour l’occasion, l’orchestre interprétera en grande première Running, un scherzo signé Tim Brady qui mettra en lumière les qualités rythmiques de l’orchestre et en valeur la section des cuivres. Ce premier GRAND CONCERT de l’OSL sera dirigé par Alain Trudel et présenté, le mercredi 17 septembre à 20 h, à la salle André-Mathieu. Cette nouvelle saison verra également le retour des très populaires conférences d’avant-concert, présentées dès 19 h 15.

Beethoven

Composées presque simultanément, les 5^e et 6^e symphonies de Beethoven ont été créées pour la première fois lors d’un concert présenté le 22 décembre 1808. Bien qu’elles aient été composées pendant les mêmes années, elles évoquent des thèmes bien différents. Alors que la Symphonie n^o 5 nous ramène à nos combats intérieurs et à la joie d’un dénouement heureux, la Pastorale, en contraste, s’ouvre sur le monde et transpose de façon spectaculaire l’amour que le compositeur portait à la nature.

Tim Brady

L’énergie et quelques petites idées musicales à l’origine de Running ont été empruntées au travail de déconstruction radicale que Tim Brady a mené lors de la réécriture des arrangements de la chanson rock des années 60 « Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon », du groupe The Guess Who, pour le compte de CBC Radio Orchestra, au début de 2008. La nouvelle pièce a été complètement repensée et recomposée dans une forme proche de celle d’un « mini concerto pour orchestre », et il ne reste que deux petits fragments mélodiques de la chanson originale.

Reconnu pour ses orchestrations éclatantes, Tim Brady a été commandité et joué par de nombreux ensembles et orchestres à travers le monde, et ses oeuvres ont été enregistrées à de nombreuses reprises. Guitariste électrique émérite, Tim Brady a fait valoir son talent sur les plus grandes scènes et avec les plus prestigieux orchestres, et il tourne régulièrement avec son ensemble, le Bradyworks. Soulignons que Tim Brady a gagné le prix OPUS "Compositeur de l'année" du Conseil québécois de la musique, en 2004, et le prix Jan V. Matejcek de la SOCAN, en 2006.

Au programme

Ludwig van Beethoven

Symphonie n^o 6 en fa majeur, op. 68 (Pastorale)